8. "The Bicycle Man" - Diff'rent Strokes
ABCTo the television audience watching Diff'rent Strokes in the 1980's, it wasn't unusual to see an episode that was labelled as being "very special". These episodes dealt with things like drugs, racism, and in its darkest hour; sexual abuse. That's correct, a sitcom largely aimed at families devoted an entire two-parter to Arnold and Dudley getting involved with a creepy bicycle shop owner. Conrad Bain even begins each episode telling you to make sure that your children watch, before discussing what was just seen. A bit morbid there, Conrad. What makes the episode even more terrifying is that it almost seems to be played for chuckles, as the bicycle man's attempts to corrupt them with wine and dirty magazines is met with laughter. It's not to say that it paints sexual abuse as being okay, but it is a little disturbing to hear the audience giggle when the bicycle man suggests he look at some pictures of himself in various states of undress. There's even a plainly scary moment at the end where you are led to believe that Dudley might even be dead, leaving you with a queasy need to take a shower.